How Is An Enlarged Uterus from Fibroids Like Pregnancy?

How Is An Enlarged Uterus from Fibroids Like Pregnancy? (1:10)

Enlarged uteruses from fibroids are often compared to pregnancy based on their size. In this video, John Lipman, MD, interventional radiologist and Sharecare Advisory Board member, explains how these fibroids are sized.

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Uteruses are often sized by similar size pregnancy. So, a gynecologist may say the woman is a 12-week size or a 14-week size or a 16-week size uterus based on the same size pregnancy. Typically we'll see patients usually between 12 and 20 weeks size pregnancies, so when they start getting into 12- week size, 14-week size, you're really starting typically to get a lot of symptoms.

16 week size is up to the belly button, so if your uterus is enlarged up to your belly button that's a four-month pregnant size uterus and women will commonly feel their fibroids if particularly they're upfront because there are hard and firm, they're like rocks and that's how they cause their symptoms.

So a woman is like, yes I felt like I was pregnant, I'm urinating more often like a pregnant woman, I get pains in my pelvic area, even my lower back. Same like when I was pregnant. So, not only are they sized like a pregnant woman, they often will have similar symptoms to a similar sized pregnant.

About John Lipman, MD

John Lipman, MD, is an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of uterine fibroids. He has given over 200 lectures on Women's Health topics at Harvard, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Yale Medical Centers.